hippy fascist
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Looks like the rumoured ps3 price cut was just someone quoting that microsoft employee and taking things out of context after all...
Seriously, you can pretty much stick a fork in the ps3 now
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17512
Hirai: I Think About PS3 Pricing Everyday
Sony Computer Entertainment's chief executive Kaz Hirai has acknowledged that the PS3's pricing situation is such an important factor that he thinks about it daily. That said, he didn't announce a price drop at TGS, a move that left analyst Michael Pachter confused.[Update: added additional Hirai comments]
In an interview with Reuters following his keynote at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment chief exec Kaz Hirai admitted that the PlayStation 3's pricing strategy is on his mind quite often.
"I think about PS3 pricing every single day. It is that important a factor ... But I am not planning any immediate pricing action now," he said.
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter and other analysts had been fairly confident in predicting that Sony would lower the price on the PS3, the PS2 or perhaps even both, but Hirai made no such announcement. Pachter told GameDaily BIZ that he's a bit perplexed by Sony's non-action on the pricing front.
"I'm really not sure what they're thinking," he commented. "Hirai said no cut this year when asked the direct question, so I think the PS3 cut is unlikely until Spring. It now looks like the delay of Home and the lack of any killer games this year made them reconsider whether a price cut in 2007 would have much impact."
Pachter added, "I would not rule out a PS2 price cut, but it looks like we can put the PS3 cut to bed until some time early next year."
If Sony's supply of the $499 60GB SKU is essentially depleted and the consumer is faced with the choice of purchasing a $599 80GB model, a $349 Xbox 360 ($279 for the Core) or a $249 Wii, the PS3 could have a very tough time this holiday season.
It may still be slow going but Hirai is confident that Sony can double shipments of the PS3 to 11 million in the fiscal year to March, and he told Reuters that SCE may acquire more developers to help spur demand for the console.
"We wouldn't buy a company just because we can," he said. "Talks of an acquisition would emerge only when a company already has tight relations with us, its corporate culture is compatible with ours, its employees are working closely with us, and it can churn out strong software titles."
A prime example of this is the acquisition of MotorStorm developer Evolution Studios and Bigbig Studios, which Hirai announced during his TGS address.
[UPDATE] In a separate interview with the Financial Times, Hirai seemingly backed up Pachter's comments about the impact a price cut would have if they didn't have enough AAA software to back it up.
"Going aggressive only on price without being able to back it up with content doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," he said. Hirai added that a price cut would have a "real impact" on hardware sales only if Sony also provided enough software titles to support the PS3. (Ha ha! EVEN SONY ADMIT THE PS3 HAS NO GAMES WORTH BUYING!)
Nevertheless, some analysts believe a PS3 price cut for this holiday is very much a necessity. "Without a price cut close to Christmas, reaching 11m shipments is going to be very tough," said David Gibson, analyst at Macquarie in Tokyo.
Seriously, you can pretty much stick a fork in the ps3 now
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17512
